Oscar Tshiebwe named Sporting News midseason All-American

Oscar Tshiebwe is officially in the mix as a candidate for National Player of the Year. Halfway through his junior campaign, he’s solidified himself as one of the country’s top overall talents at the college level.

On Thursday morning, the folks over at Sporting News released its midseason All-American First-Team, where Tshiebwe was one of five players to make the cut. The 6-foot-9 center joins Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis, Baylor’s James Akinjo, and Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn on the first-team.

This marks the third major midseason honor for Tshiebwe, who was previously named to the Lute Olsen Watch List and the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List.

The Sporting News midseason All-America team has arrived!

Did your favorite college baller make the list? 👀

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 20, 2022

On the Sporting News midseason All-American Second-Team are Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji, Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin, Iowa’s Keegan Murray, Auburn’s Jabari Smith, and Gonzaga’s Drew Timme. The Third-Team honorees are Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas, Villanova’s Collin Gillespie, Purdue’s Jaden Ivey, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell.

Through 18 games played for Kentucky in 2021-22, Tshiebwe is averaging an impressive 16.1 points and 14.8 rebounds on over 61 percent shooting from the floor. He’s on pace to be college basketball’s most efficient rebounder of the last 20 years and has regularly broken Kentucky rebounding records throughout the season.

Tshiebwe was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week by Andy Katz. He was also named the SEC Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 27.